Little Changes in the Home That Make a Big Environmental Impact

Make your home green

Making lifestyle changes isn’t easy. You have to want it, and you need to be organized and determined. If you’re going to start cooking at home to improve your nutrition and health, having all the ingredients prepped and ready in the fridge will make it much easier to stay on track. If you want to improve your carbon footprint, you need to prepare your home, so you don’t fall into bad habits that are bad for the planet. Here’s how you need to outfit your home to make “going green” as easy as possible.

Preparing your home for the green revolution

Single-use plastic is one of the biggest threats to our planet. Look around your home and see how you can replace plastic products with materials that can be reused or recycled. Next, look at the products you use in the house, especially cleaning products, to see if you can’t switch out toxic and harmful products with organic alternatives.

Making your home more green
Leave tote bags in your car for easy use.

Replacing single-use plastic items

If you get in the habit of always having a reusable water bottle and coffee cup in your possession, you’ll eliminate a lot of single-use plastic. Some even take it one step further and get a reusable metal straw. Many businesses are phasing out the plastic straw, but you can help society along by carrying your own signature metal straw.

Tote bags

Plastic bags can’t be recycled and have a stranglehold on our planet. Keep reusable tote bags in your car, so you never have to use another plastic bag. If you already have a drawer full of plastic bags, start bringing them back to the store and see if they won’t take them and reuse them. Your local bodega may appreciate getting a bunch of free plastic bags. Since they can’t be recycled, you may be able to reuse them.

Detergents and dryer sheets

Going green
Look for non-toxic detergents and fabric softeners.

Over half of the toxins and chemical that contaminate our streams and water comes from cleaning products. Look for non-toxic and organic products that won’t destroy the planet or our precious water supply. Dryer sheets and fabric softeners are big culprits. Look for alternative and sustainable methods to keep your clothes and your home fresh, soft, and clean.

Cold wash

Your washer uses an incredible amount of energy heating up enough water to wash your clothes. Start using the cold cycle more to reduce your energy consumption and your energy bills. You can also save energy by only washing when you have a full load. Too many small loads is a waste of water and electricity.

Sunrise Sanitation provides waste management and recycling services to your home, business, and job-site in West Virginia and Maryland. 

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